A BROWN discharge being pumped into the river Severn in Worcester is not sewage, said the Environment Agency.

Severn Trent Water denied it is responsible for the effluent while the Environment Agency clarified it is sediment associated with river water.

A picture of a dark brown cloud of liquid released into the river in the city was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by user @dexPearados.

The picture was captioned: "Effluent being discharged into River Severn, Worcester City Centre 9.30am 1.9, No recent heavy rain. Why?"

Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency were both tagged in the picture, along with the MP for Worcester, Robin Walker.

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Effluent being discharged into R Severn, Worcester City Centre 9.30am 1.9, NO recent heavy rain . Why ⁦@stwater⁩ ⁦@EnvAgency⁩ ⁦@WalkerWorcester⁩ ⁦@Feargal_Sharkey⁩ pic.twitter.com/P69K7sQlPG

Severn Trent said the claim the discolouration in the water is sewage is wholly inaccurate and that it has no pipes or assets in the area 

Gareth Mead, river rangers manager, said: “A river ranger urgently visited the site as soon as we were alerted to the tweet, and we can confirm this issue is not related to Severn Trent.”

The tweet caught the attention of singer and activist Feargal Sharkey OBE, who shared the image with his over 215,000 followers.

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An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We've investigated a discharge into the river Severn at Worcester. 

"This is not sewage, it's sediment associated with river water taken to cool the library.

"The abstraction and discharge are legal, with no risk to the environment."

The Environment Agency was established in 1996 to protect and improve the environment.

It is responsible for regulating major industry and waste, treatment of contaminated land, water quality and resources, fisheries, inland rivers, estuary and harbour navigations and conservation and ecology.